this morning, an emphatic endorsement. >> we are here to nominate a president. and i've got one in mind. >> bill clinton, back in the spotlight with his powerful defense of president obama. an epic speech already lighting up both sides. all the highlights, live from charlotte. tropical turnaround. a second round for the gulf, as part of isaac, believe it or not, returns. demolition disaster. a crowd quietly watching a building implosion. but seconds later, they are consumed by the debris. and let the games begin. the night football fans have been waiting for, as the nfl

season officially gets under way. good thursday morning, everybody. we begin, today, with president obama, set to take the stage tonight in charlotte. ready to accept his party's nomination for a second term. >> and last night on the stage, he made a brief appearance to embrace the big dog, bill clinton, after the former president delivered a thunderous speech of support. abc's brandi hitt, live in charlotte this morning for us. hi, brandi. >> reporter: good morning, rob and paula. yes. they haven't always had the best relationship. but once again, bill clinton stood right next to barack obama and details why he thinks america still needs obama as president. president obama joined bill clinton on stage, after one of the most loved democrats delivered his resounding

endorsement. >> we're going to keep president obama on the job. >> reporter: president clinton, who led the country during a strong economy, validated the current president's economic plan. and said no president could fully repair the damage in four years. >> the republican argument against the president's re-election was actually pretty simple. pretty snappy. it went something like this. we left him a total mess. he hasn't cleaned up fast enough. so, fire him and put us back in. >> reporter: clinton spent the night dismantling mitt romney's attacks. >> as another president once said, there they go again. >> reporter: and said democrats have created more private sector jobs than republicans in the last 50 years. >> are we where we want to be today? no. is the president satisfied? of course not. but are we better off than we were when he took office?

>> ohio, madame secretary, casts all 188 votes for the president and the next presidt of the united states, barack obama. >> reporter: now that democrats have officially nominated the president for a second term, tonight, he must sell voters on his plan for the next four years. but he won't do it at the open-air bank of america stadium. the obama camp is moving his speech indoors to this smaller venue because of possible thunderstorms. and the obama campaign insists this change of venue is not because of lack of enthusiasm. because they say they had to turn away tens of thousands of supporters for tonight. rob and paula, back to you. >> brandi, last night, the former president went chapter and verse, through so many of the talking points we heard in tampa. the bailout, medicare, the debt. point by point. has mitt romney had any response yet to the speech? >> reporter: the romney campaign immediately responded. and they say they believed that

clinton was highlighting obama's failures. that clinton drew a stark contrast between himself and the current president. they pointed out that clinton balanced the budget and he worked across the aisle. and he said he left america in a better place. and they believe barack obama has done none of those things in his first four years in office. >> clinton also pointed the finger at some republican obstructionism in congress, as well, to counter that argument. brandi hitt live for us in charlotte. let the spin begin. thanks, brandi. and the numbers are in for the first lady's speech. and the first lady has bragging rights when it comes to ann romney in ratings. >> 26 million people watched the first night of the democratic convention. that's about 3 million more than saw ann romney on the gop opening night in tampa. the first lady is also the star of the twittersphere, topping the number of tweets sent during bill clinton's speech last night. and the top trend on twitter during the clinton speech, it was hillary 2016. our political team is revved up and ready for the president's

speech tonight. you can see it live on abc, beginning at 10:00 eastern. well, republican vice presidential nominee, paul ryan, has weighed in on an always hot-button social issue. on the campaign trail in the state of utah, ryan renewed his support for prayer in public schools. ryan said it was contusional issue for the states and also the moral responsibility of parents. and the top of the ticket took a break from debate prep to pick up a couple of pies at a local pizza joint. mitt romney has been staying at a vermont estate for the past few days, getting ready for the big debates in october. a week after making landfall in louisiana, isaac is trying to spring back to life in the gulf. a remnant of the storm has broken off and could regenerate into a new tropical system over the next couple of days. even getting a new name. that means more rain, more flash flooding for the gulf coast. hurricane leslie is heading straight for bermuda, forecast to make landfall this weekend as a category 2 storm. leslie is going to kick up high

waves, as high as eight feet, along the east coast. but it's not expected to come ashore in the u.s. >> that's good news. no landfall here in the u.s. we'll take that. in other news this morning, arizona is one step closer to implementing the most controversial part of its new immigration law. a federal judge refused to block the so-called show me your papers provision. that requires police officers to ask about the immigration status of people who are stopped for other suspected crimes. civil rights groups, though, says that provision essentially amounts to racial profiling. hundreds of people gathered at a mississippi church to celebrate the life of lucimarian roberts, the mother of robin roberts. robin said, thank you for remembering my mother. diane sawyer and charlie gibson were among those to pay their respects. mrs. roberts was the first african-american to head the mississippi state board of education. she was buried alongside her

husband, a former tuskegee airman. it is time, now, for the weather from across the nation. hope it's nice where you are. but you're going to see hail and gusty winds from southern nebraska to amarillo. showers into the carolinas. late-day thunderstorms from pittsburgh to northern new england. >> mostly 80s in the northeast and the nation's midsection. triple-digits from texas into the desert southwest. when we come back this morning, can you really trademark a color? well, a court ruling that has some people seeing red. and then, video of a chilling bank heist. armed gunmen kidnapping the bank manager and strapping on what they said was a bomb. and we'll lighten the mood a little later in the show. hot on the heels of her speech in charlotte, the first lady tries her hand at late-night laughs.

welcome back, everyone. and there is more evidence this morning that the housing recovery is picking up steam. a new report shows homes are selling more quickly. and the supply is getting tighter. the national association of realtors says for homes that sold in july, the median listing time was 69 days. now, that is a whole lot faster than it was a year ago, when the median time on the market was 98 days. the smartphone wars are heating up in a big way, six days before apple rolls out its latest iphone. nokia and motorola scrambling to

hold on to the market share, unveiled new phones on wednesday before the big apple announcement. and not to be outdone, amazon is expected to reveal its long-rumored phone at an event set for later today.h the nfl s off last night, we're learning which games fans are really coughing up big bucks to see. a new list ranks the highest ticket prices, not the face value, but what people are paying resellers. last night's game between the cowboys and giants was number three, at an average of 465 bucks. next month's broncos/patriot's match-up, is fetching $467 a ticket. and number one is the steelers at the cowboys in december, at almost 480 bucks a pop. that's a lot of loot. >> that's before you get the snacks. another 100 bucks for the hot dogs. yeah. and as fashion week kicks off here in new york, a landmark in the world of design. a federal appeals court says

christian lieu bitten, can trademark the red. one judge said that distinctive red contrast is what makes the lieu bitton soles pop. i've been worried about that all month. when we come back on this thursday, the plague is not history. this little girl is battling back from a case. and andy roddick wraps up his pro career. it was love-love with that crowd. ♪ [ male announcer ] through every sniffle, ache, and pain, she's been there. and so have walgreens' over-the-counter products. so you know you're getting something you can trust. and that's especially important now that it's your turn to be there for her.

choose one hundred percent guaranteed, walgreens brand products. they're the only ones recommended by walgreens pharmacists. at the corner of happy & healthy. by walgreens pharmacists. (belhi.ings) good morning. big news. we're spreading the word about new honey bunches of oats fruit blends and their unique taste combinations. like peach/raspberry... and banana/blueberry. we're telling everyone. with one flavor in the granola bunch and one on the flake. try some. mmm! two flavors. in harmony. yummy. four nutritious grains and two big fruit flavors to make your day bunches better. why they have a raise your rate cd. tonight our guest, thomas sargent. nobel laureate in economics, and one of the most cited economists in the world. professor sargent, can you tell me what cd rates will be in two years? no.

if he can't, no one can. that's why ally has a raise your rate cd. ally bank. your money needs an ally. the demolition of a 14-story building near paris did not quite go as planned.

just as dust started billowing up from the site, a change in wind direction sent it straight into the watching crowd. even the soothing strains of some classical music couldn't put people at ease, as they held cloth over their mouths and noses. guess you can't plan for everything. and now, for a look at morning road conditions. flooded highways along the gulf coast. a wet commute from florida into the carolinas. thunderstorms drench roads in southern nebraska, wichita and amarillo. slick spots in the southwest. and from fargo to duluth. >> if you're flying today, some airport delays are possible in phoenix, kansas city and charlotte. back to the news this thursday morning. police in los angeles are still looking for two masked gunmen who kidnapped a bank manager from her home, as part of a very bizarre robbery plot. >> scary story here. authorities say they strapped what they said was a bomb to the woman's waist. and they forced her to order employees to take money out of the bank. the bomb squad disabled the

device, which they say resembled an explosive, but was not. the roman catholic bishop of kansas city faces a bench trial. bishop robert finn is the highest-ranking catholic official to be charged with shielding an abusive priest. his attorneys has decided to let a judge decide the case instead of a jury. a verdict is expected by day's end. what started out as a fun bike ride turned into a near-death ordeal for an ohio teen. he fell into a creek and got sucked into a storm drain. by the time rescuers had arrived, the water carried the eighth grader 1,500 feet. they didn't think he made it. but when they called his name through a manhole, he answered. >> it was dark. it was scary. it was nasty. it was like somebody was, like, putting you in a big whirlpool.

and spinning you around. >> what a brave little kid. rescuers took about a half hour to pull the teen out. amazingly, he only suffered a few cuts and bruises. and this little girl is recovering after a battle with the bubonic plague. she may have gotten the rare infection after touching a dead squirrel. the plague, also known as the black death, it killed 25 million people during the dark ages. but today, it can be treated simply with antibiotics. she could be home from the hospital within a couple of days. the nfl is donating $30 million to fund research of brain injuries. all this, just as a new study suggests that repeated blows to the head may be even more damaging to players than previously thought. that study involved thousands of former nfl players. and it says they are four-times more likely to die of alzheimer's and lou gehrig's disease than people in the general population.

keep that in mind on sunday afternoons. on the field, it was not the season opener that the defending super bowl champs were looking for. highlights, now, from espn. >> good morning. i'm randy scott with your "sportscenter" update. we start with the beginning to the nfl season. cowboys and giants last night. eli manning, super bowl mvp. tony romo -- here in the third quarter, hooking up with the big surprising star of the night, kevin ogletree. a 40-yard touchdown. s cowboys up 17-10. first and 30. what do you have in the playbook for that? how about a strike to miles austin. cowboys win, 24-17. tennis, at nearby flushing meadows at the u.s. open. top overall seed, roger federer, taking on the sixth seed, tomas berdych. unforced errors, the theme of the night. he would drop the first set.

he would also drop the second set. it's another forehand that goes wide. he would take the third, federer. but match point for berdych in the fourth. the serve is too much. and berdych stuns him, 7-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. more emotional match had to be andy roddick. he said he was going to retire, win or lose at the u.s. open. no matter what happened. he's taking on juan martin del potro. roddick would take the first set. del potro the second. in the third, roddick getting work. del potro would take the third set. and realization setting in on roddick. starting to get emotional. match point. that's the end of a career. roddick, retiring at the age of 30. he falls in four sets to juan martin del potro. i'm randy scott. this has been your "sportscenter" update. have a great morning. coming up next, "the pulse," this morning. and if you are what you wear, well, you want to get your hands

on this digital shirt. and the first lady plays it for laughs with a very timely top-ten list. [ male announcer ] if it wasn't for a little thing called the computer, we might still be making mix tapes. find this. pause this. play this. eject this. write this. it's like the days before esurance express lane™. you had to find a bunch of documents just to get a car insurance quote. now express lane finds your driving info with just one click, saving time to be nostalgic about the days before express lane. thank you, insurance for the modern world.

esurance. now backedy allstate. click or call. a deep, throbbing, persistent ache. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and for some people, it can work in as early as the first week of treatment. so now i can do more of the things that i enjoy. lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior, or any swelling or affected breathing or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision

or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. with less pain, i'm feeling better now that i've found lyrica. ask your doctor if lyrica is right for your fibromyalgia pain. welcome back, everybody. well, politics and punch lines top "the pulse," this morning, with the first lady offering some late-night laughs. >> politics and punch lines go hand in hand, don't they? michelle obama delivered last night's top-ten list on the

letterman show. here's two of the top-ten reasons to attend the democratic national convention. >> as a healthy alternative. we're using low-fat confetti. joe biden says it will be a big you know what deal. >> wait a minute. really? >> and mrs. obama's number one reason to watch the convention. drumroll, please. we'll findly find out who she is voting for. that was in question, wasn't it? >> indeed. you have to love the top ten. your photos, videos and tweets online isn't enough for you. well, you might want to turn yourself into a walking social media display. >> the first wearable, programmable shirt. it's loaded with apps and tools to leave a lasting impression. the digital shirt is a prototype for now. it could be available to everyone if there is enough

interest. >> it's made by the same interactive clothing company that created katy perry's light-up dress. wonder what they charge for something like that. >> you have to wonder. >> it's not cotton? >> we need more addictions to our phones, right? and finally, the passage of time and what it does to all of us. here's what it's done, though, to a new york photographer. his name is noah kalina. he documented in his viral video. it's called "every day." >> he has taken a picture of himself every day since early 2000, the first time he posted a video like this online. it only encome passed about six years of his life. >> but the other day, he added another 6 1/2 years. it shows him aging from 19 all the way to 32. most people do not want to see that process documented. no. >> a brave and frightening experiment. >> time catches up with all of us. you know that. well, for some of you, your local news is next. and rob and i might age in that

minute. >> on this shift, yeah. for everyone else, we're going to show you the little dog that shows she's got a lot of heart.

updating our top stories now. president clinton just finished his speech. just kidding. the president wowed the crowd in charlotte last night, nominating president obama for a second term and delivering a resounding endorsement. >> and president obama will accept that nomination tonight, with a speech switched from a larger outdoor venue because of the threat of bad weather. a remnant of hurricane isaac has come full-circle. it's back in the gulf of mexico this morning, threatening to turn into another tropical system and bring even more flooding from new orleans to the florida panhandle. keep an eye that throughout the morning. looking at today's weather, scattered thunderstorms in the southwest. hail and high winds from nebraska to amarillo. heavy rain on the gulf coast. showers and thunderstorms into the carolinas. finally this morning, a dynamic duo with a special eye

for creativity. >> a dachshund in seattle is creating unique artwork, even though she can't see a thing. four-legged friends in need are reaping the benefits. our seattle station caught up with the pair. >> every, little thing, i figure this is it. this is the end. well, for most of us, it was pretty devastating. she cried for the first, oh, about three months. and she showed me that it -- you can overcome an awful lot and still enjoy life. and she's been here to teach me things. that's what i think. she had a disease called s.a.r.d.s. it's sudden rapt degeneration syndrome. it happened over a next few days. she was seeing fine. suddenly, she was walking into walls. come on. come on. yeah. she's always been a very happy, happy, little dog. let's go paint.

she's inspiring every day. i'm amazed every time she paints. she can't see the paper. you'll notice she'll put her paw out. she's only done that since she's been blind. i'm guessing she's trying to feel for the paper. of course, her leg is shorter than her nose. she can't reach it. i have to make sure not to let her paint too much because i don't want to burn her out. but she doesn't want to stop. i. good girl. yeah. good girl. if you have a disabled dog, keep taking them out and doing what they like to do. they're not ready to quit. i think we're the ones who feel we need to protect them. and she signs them. and i put ink on it. find the spot we want and stamp it. and there's her signature. we will put it up on her website for sale. she tries to paint cheeseburgers sometimes. we don't keep any of the money. it goes to a dog rescue. >> going to a good cause. >> a canine with a cause. that's what's makingew